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Molecular phylogenetic relationships of Lankanectes corrugatus from Sri Lanka: endemism of South Asian frogs and the concept of monophyly in phylogenetic studies |
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ArticlesInstructions to authorsSearch: ... by fascicle ... by author ... by keywords |
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Article published in volume 22 fascicle 1, of 12/2004, pages 53 - 64AuthorsAbstractFor more than fifteen years, the frog genus Limnonectes (Ranidae, Dicroglossinae, Limnonectini) was considered to contain more than 40 South-East Asian species, and a single species from Sri Lanka, L. corrugatus. We analysed 1198 base pairs of the mitochondrial 12S and 16S rRNA genes in L. corrugatus, in representatives of most major subgroups of Limnonectes, and in several genera thought to be related to this genus. The data allow to significantly exclude a relationship of the Sri Lankan species to South-East Asian Limnonectes; instead, it seems clustered with species of Rana and Nyctibatrachus, which supports the previous recognition of the monotypic genus Lankanectes for L. corrugatus. The morphological specializations of this species confirm that it may be the only known representative of an additional major ranid lineage (Lankanectinae) endemic to South Asia, an area of high importance as center of basal diversity and endemism of this family. Our data also suggest some comments on the generic taxonomy in the Limnonectini tribe of the Dicroglossinae. By contradicting previous statements on the monophyly of Limnonectes, they also point to a general terminological problem in phylogenetic studies. We propose to use the term homophyletic to refer to groups in which the available data do not contradict holophyly but in which taxon sampling is still incomplete or uncertain. |
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